Alexei Stukov
|fgcolor= |gender=Male |image=AlexeiStukov HotS Head1.jpg |imgsize=150px |birth=June 9, 2448 |death=September, 2500, Braxis (first death, later resurrected by Kaloth) |hair=Black |eyes=Brown (formerly) Orange |faction=United Powers League (?–2499/2500) United Earth Directorate (2499/2500–September, 2500) : UED Expeditionary Fleet (2499/2500–September, 2500) ::Stukov's Elite Guard New Swarm (formerly) Zerg Swarm (Early 2505–?) :Stukov's forces |job=UED Vice Admiral (2499/2500–September, 2500) Second-in-command of the UED Expeditionary Force (?–September, 2500) Commander of the New Swarm (formerly) Test subject (formerly) Leader of Stukov's forces (Late 2504/2505–) |family=Four children |voice=Cástulo Guerra (StarCraft: Brood War) Victor Brandt (StarCraft II)Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Credits. (in English). 2013.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Credits. (in English). 2015. |nocat=yes }} Alexei Stukov (also spelled Alexi Stukov) is a human from Earth. He was the vice admiral of the UED Expeditionary Fleet and tactical advisor to Admiral Gerard DuGalle. Biography Early Service Stukov grew up on Earth, rising through the ranks of the United Powers League alongside his friend Gerard DuGalle. Both men were competitive throughout their youths and constantly played at getting the best of one another. Unlike DuGalle however, Stukov spent most of his military career in top-secret research rather than in actual combat, constantly striving to push the limit of conventional technology and physical theory to increase the effectiveness of UPL troops in warfare. His views on the subject were considered unconventional.Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Despite research taking up most of his time, Stukov was not completely unfamiliar with combat, his awards showing this. He won the Crux de Valor with combat tags and for his involvement in the quelling of the Ishanti Uprising, three Bronze Gammadons.StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Stukov icon highlights (in English). 1998. Family matters were not unfamiliar to him either, fathering four children.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: UED Victory Report (in English). 1998. The Brood War A New Enemy The discovery of alien species in the Koprulu sector changed the UPL's stance to their wayward colonies along with its own power structure. Now serving the United Earth Directorate, Stukov was appointed as second-in-command of an expeditionary force to bring the Koprulu Sector and its inhabitants under UED control. Serving under DuGalle, Stukov departed Earth for the galactic fringe. Shortly after arriving in the sector, Stukov and DuGalle witnessed a demonstration of the zerg attacking the base of a Terran Dominion colony. DuGalle had released the zerg onto an unsuspecting colony to "observe" them in warfare. Stukov was indifferent, claiming to know "all about the zerg" from seeing tapes "a hundred times" but DuGalle forced him to watch, claiming that the live demonstration would instill a resolve within the Vice Admiral that recorded dissections could not. In this he was correct, Stukov resolving to go "all the way." After seeing enough, the Aleksander then withdrew and left the besieged colonists to die by the zerg.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: Brood War Intro (in English). 1998. First Strike Stukov tried to blockade Braxis when the protoss visited, for reasons unknown to him. The protoss were able to penetrate the blockade, and eventually Stukov had to give up the chase.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Battle of Braxis (in English). 1998. Later, Stukov ordered a Captain of the UED fleet, newly awakened from cryogenic hibernation, to assault Braxis and take control of its capital city of Boralis within two standard hours. Unfortunately, the attacking forces were hampered by a lack of vespene gas.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: First Strike (in English). 1998. When the UED met the Confederate Resistance Forces, its commander Lieutenant Samir Duran offered his services and skills in return for amnesty. Stukov was initially suspicious, but when Duran said that he could show an alternate route that leads to the rear of Boralis, Stukov accepted his aid and formally declared Duran and his troops as new conscripts of the UED — "Very well, Lieutenant. Consider yourself and your men the first colonial conscripts of the United Earth Directorate."Samir Duran: "Captain, I am Lieutenant Samir Duran of the Confederate Resistance Forces. I've been monitoring your attack against the Dominion, and I'd like to offer you my services and skills in return for amnesty." Alexei Stukov: "Intriguing. Lieutenant, you have absolutely no idea as to who we are or what we have come here to do. Why do you wish to side with us?" Duran: "Because my men and I have sworn to fight against the Dominion and its Emperor. Seeing as how your forces have been laying into this Dominion base, I figured we were on the same side." Stukov: "I see. How exactly do you propose to be of service to us, Lieutenant?" Duran: "Well, I possess intimate knowledge of the surrounding area. I can show you an alternate route that leads to the rear of the main Dominion base." Stukov: "Very well, Lieutenant. Consider yourself and your men the first colonial conscripts of the United Earth Directorate. Captain, see that the Lieutenant is given our full cooperation. We shall see if he's worth the effort." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: First Strike (in English). 1998. The Iron Fist Stukov accompanied the UED fleet when it attacked the Dylarian Shipyards. Duran warned him and DuGalle of the impending Dominion counterstrike.Duran: "Gentlemen, I recommend that you launch this attack using the utmost caution. Dominion Command can typically reinforce its outlying bases within sixteen standard hours. You should expect some sort of reprisal from Emperor Mengsk shortly." Gerard DuGalle: "Ah, the turncoat. I suggest that you pay keen attention to rank when you address the Captain and myself, Lieutenant Duran. Is that understood?" Duran: "Of course, Admiral." Stukov: "Heh heh. You're beginning to show your age, Gerard. Give the boy some credit. He just tipped us off to a preeminent attack." DuGalle: "However useful he may prove to be, Alexei, he will always be a traitor in my eyes. And you know that I cannot abide a traitor." Stukov: "Only too well, Gerard." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Dylarian Shipyards (in English). 1998. The UED forces stole the shipyard's battlecruisers and escaped.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Dylarian Shipyards (in English). 1998. When a Confederate psi disrupter was discovered on Tarsonis, Duran convinced DuGalle of the need to destroy the device.Duran: "I must humbly suggest to you, Admiral, that the Disrupter be destroyed as quickly as possible. If it should fall into the hands of the Dominion we could face some very serious problems." DuGalle: "Hmm. A prudent call, Lieutenant. I am inclined to agree." Stukov: "But Admiral, this device could insure our victory over the Zerg! It is foolhardy to discard such an advantage!" Duran: "Surely, Vice Admiral, you don't doubt the tenacity of your own fleet? Your Directorate forces will devastate the Zerg without the need for such a device." Stukov: "Listen here, Lieutenant, I've had just about enough of your-" DuGalle: "This conversation is over, Alexei. Given the true nature of our mission to enslave the Overmind, we could hardly stand to have Mengsk control a device of this magnitude. This Psi Disrupter must be destroyed in order to safeguard our mission. Ensign, set your course for Tarsonis." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Ruins of Tarsonis (in English). 1998. Stukov however, believed the disrupter to be a useful tool to the UED and sent his personal guard to relieve Duran after he had secured it.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Ruins of Tarsonis (in English). 1998. Without telling DuGalle, he had the disrupter secretly dismantled, transported to Braxis, and reassembled.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Patriot's Blood (in English). 1998. While the UED pursued Emperor Arcturus Mengsk and Commander Jim Raynor to Aiur in their campaign against the Dominion, Stukov became increasingly perturbed at the increasing number of allies that Mengsk was able to bring to bear against them. When a massive wave of zerg attacked the UED just in time to allow Mengsk to escape their grasp once again, Stukov was horrified. Not only had Raynor and the protoss joined forces with the Dominion, but the seemingly mindless zerg had done so as well.DuGalle: "I don't understand this. Why would the Protoss harbor these men?" Stukov: "I have no idea, Gerard, but the Protoss aren't our only problem." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Emperor's Flight (in English). 1998. When Stukov realized that Duran had deliberately moved his forces out of place so as to allow the zerg to pass,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Emperor's Flight (in English). 1998. Stukov finally grasped that their inconspicuous ally had not only been playing them from the start, but likely had been infested by the zerg as well. With this new revelation, Stukov immediately fled back to Braxis with his troops loyal to him, where he activated the psi disrupter. Patriot's Blood DuGalle was livid, especially since Duran was goading him. He ordered Duran to execute Stukov for treason against the UED, a task Duran gladly accepted.Adjutant: "Vice Admiral Stukov took control of a large contingent of troops and came here to the planet Braxis." DuGalle: "Why would he abandon the battle on Aiur? Why has he come back to Braxis?" Duran: "I mean no offense, Admiral. But perhaps Stukov's loyalties are not as strong as you once believed." DuGalle: "Because you are young and foolish, Lieutenant, I will pardon that insult. Alexei and I have been friends since long before you were born. However, he must be found. If Stukov is here, he will account for his actions." Adjutant: "Admiral, our sensors have detected a fully functional Psi Disrupter on the planet's surface directly below our position. It would appear that the Vice Admiral did not destroy the Psi Disrupter on Tarsonis as was ordered." DuGalle: "What? Impossible!" Duran: "I warned you Admiral! Stukov has betrayed you! He's reconstructed the Psi Disrupter in order to sabotage your mission in this sector!" DuGalle: "I can't believe it. Yet the evidence is incontrovertible. Alexei, what have you done? "Perhaps you've been right all along, Lieutenant. On my authority, enter the Psi Disrupter... and... deal with the Vice Admiral appropriately..." Duran: "Of course, Admiral." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Patriot's Blood (in English). 1998. Stukov's personal forces resisted the UED, but eventually Duran located Stukov and shot him. Duran promptly vanished. With his dying breath, Stukov told DuGalle that Duran had been manipulating him from the beginning, was almost certainly infested by the zerg and may have been for a long time.Duran: "Vice Admiral Stukov, I am here under orders to terminate your command." Stukov: "Lieutenant Duran. I'm not surprised. We both know exactly what it is that you're here to terminate. Get on with it." Duran: "Say goodnight, Stukov." Stukov: "To hell with y- !" DuGalle: "Lieutenant Duran, report your situation immediately!" Stukov: "Gerard... old friend. You do indeed have a traitor in your midst... but it's not me. Duran. He has been playing us both from the start... He convinced you to destroy the Psi Disrupter... even though it was our best chance at defeating the Zerg. And then, on Aiur, ...he allowed the Zerg to overrun us even as we had the fugitives in our grasp. I came here... to activate the one hope we have of defeating them... And you killed me for it. Heh, heh... Duran is your enemy Gerard. I suspect... that he may even be infested as well... Use the Disrupter, Gerard... Finish our operation... Let my death have at least some meaning." DuGalle: "Alexei! No! What have I done? What have I done? Computer, where the hell is Lieutenant Duran?" Adjutant: "The Lieutenant no longer registers on my sensors, Admiral. He appears to have vanished." DuGalle: "No." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Patriot's Blood (in English). 1998. Stukov's last words were punctuated when the outer walls of the psi disrupter were breached by a massive wave of zerg, triggering alarms and possibly setting off the disrupter's self-destruct sequence. At DuGalle's request, the remainder of Stukov's personal forces assisted the UED forces in their efforts to recapture the disrupter from the zerg and succeeded in time. Legacies The vice admiral's ignominious fate was hidden by UED propaganda, which claimed Stukov had died in the "final valiant assault on Char" against the zerg. His body was then buried in space during the military funeral. DuGalle took Stukov's death personally realizing the shortsightedness caused by his pride directly led to the death of his friend.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Ascension (in English). 1998. Kerrigan would pick at the wound, taunting DuGalle after the UED victory on Char by declaring that Stukov was "twice the man you are."Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: To Chain the Beast (in English). 1998. Reanimation Stukov's death, however, was temporary. After being 'spaced', he was captured by the zerg.StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Stukov Lines He was resurrected and infested by a cerebrate, Kaloth,Blizzard Entertainment, Mass Media Inc. StarCraft 64. (Nintendo of America, Inc.) Mission: Resurrection IV (in English). 2000. as an experiment in creating infested human leaders,Metzen, Chris; Chambers, Andy; StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-04-03. BlizzCon 2007 StarCraft Lore Panel Editorial. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-05-18. to turn them into leaders of their own colonies.2017-07-11, STUKOV ENTERS THE NEXUS!. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-07-13 Stukov also held Doctor Emil Narud responsible for his creation.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Hand of Darkness (in English). 2013-03-12. His infestation gave the zerg some knowledge of the United Earth Directorate.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-12-03. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 7. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-12-03. The Kimeran Pirates raided a Terran Confederacy installation. According to the stolen data, the Confederates were studying how to revive terrans using zerg reanimation techniques. One subject of these experiments was an infested terran named Morik, who had maintained some of his sanity. When the Pirates left, taking Morik with them, they were followed by cloaked Wraiths...2000-10-27. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Deception (in English). Map Archives: Deception. Stukov hired mercenaries to destroy enemies who had conveniently settled on the same dark planet, including the Kimeran Pirates. The Kimerans were mostly or completely wiped out by Stukov's mercenaries.2001-01-31. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Mercenaries II (in English). Map Archives: Mercenaries II. Eventually, Stukov gained control of a zerg brood (the New Swarm) and moved to Braxis. The protoss discovered them quickly,Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Koprulu Sector Systems: Braxis. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. while Stukov was still maturing into the role. His weakness was reflected by poor efficiency in the zerg; the suicidal infested terrans were much less potent.Taldarin: "It is fortunate that Stukov is not yet at his full power. There wretched creatures are not a potent as they could be." StarCraft 64. Vivendi Games. Mission: Resurrection IV (in English). 2000. Nonetheless, Stukov could rely on a large zerg and renegade terran force. The terran component was not wholly reliable; doubts about Stukov's sanity pushed many toward leaving the infested terran's service. The protoss developed a nanite serum to reverse Stukov's infestation. Assaulting Braxis and delivering the serum was entrusted to a small joint terran and protoss force led by Jim Raynor and Taldarin, a dragoon. Raynor, a protoss ally, joined the operation at Artanis's request. Once on the surface, Raynor and Taldarin were joined by terran troops defecting from Stukov, including a Skullder pilot. Additional help came by freeing Stukov's protoss prisoners. Stukov was cornered and captured after heavy fighting. The serum freed Stukov from the zerg long enough to escape with Raynor and Taldarin.2007-10-08. SC:L Metzen Interview - Lore Exclusive. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2012-01-23. Stukov lamented the serum's effects.Alexi Stukov: "Release me! You know nothing of what-" Medic: "Injecting... Nanite cellular reconstruction initiated commander." Alexi Stukov: "NO! You will not wrest me from The Swarm! I will... We will... NOOO!" Jim Raynor: Take it easy Admiral. Just let it all happen…." Alexi Stukov: "Raynor! You… you poor simple child. You will never understand what I have lost. The clarity...gone..." StarCraft 64. Vivendi Games. Mission: Resurrection IV (in English). 2000. The protoss then burned Braxis' surface from orbit. Heart of the Swarm Stukov was given to the Moebius Foundation so they could research the protoss cure, but as it slowly failed, they experimented on him, resulting in his being re-infested. Stukov was imprisoned by Doctor Emil Narud and the Dominion at Skygeirr Station. Narud experimented on Stukov personally.2017-06-30, Stukov Spotlight – Heroes of the Storm. YouTube, accessed on 2017-07-02 While Narud experimented on him, Stukov told himself that it couldn't get worse. But then it did.Blizzard Entertainment. Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard Entertainment) (in English). June 2, 2015 Joining the Swarm During the Second Great War, Stukov escaped and contacted Sarah Kerrigan, his former enemy, seeking revenge. He told her of his imprisonment and that the base was also used for breeding protoss/zerg hybrids.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Stukov (in English). 2013-03-12.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Infested (in English). 2013-03-12. The two worked together to defeat the Dominion garrison thereBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Infested (in English). 2013-03-12. as well as the hybrids in the facility's lower levels. Despite this, not all was well. The hybrid dominators in the lab had tried to sap Kerrigan's energy, and she theorized that this was their purpose—to obtain psionic energy to be used to resurrect Amon, Narud's master. It would require a lot, but Stukov pointed out that when Kerrigan was de-infested at Char, all the power she'd wielded as the Queen of Blades had to go somewhere. If there were hybrids nearby when this had occurred, then Narud might have obtained all the psionic energy he needed to resurrect his master.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Hand of Darkness (in English). 2013-03-12. The pair entered the bottom level, where Narud and a Tal'darim force loyal to him awaited. Narud fired a null zone at Kerrigan, one that she was able to keep at bay with her own psionic powers, but at the cost of her mobility. Stukov led the zerg on the field of battle, defeating the Tal'darim and deactivating xel'naga temples that were feeding Narud's power. With the deactivation of these temples, Kerrigan was able to incapacitate NarudBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Phantoms of the Void (in English). 2013-03-12. and go on to kill him.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Shifting Perspectives (in English). 2013-03-12. With Narud dead and the lab destroyed, Stukov had achieved his vengeance. He'd assumed that Kerrigan would kill him once the battle was over, but she was willing to let him go his own way. As Stukov pointed out though, there was nowhere he could go, given his status as an infested terran. Kerrigan offered him a place in the Swarm until he made up his mind, which he accepted.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Phantoms of the Void (in English). 2013-03-12. As the leviathan prepared to leave however, Stukov could see that something was wrong. Kerrigan revealed that through her battle with Narud, she'd discovered that Amon had indeed been resurrected, only she did not know where he was. She would take the Swarm to face him, but only after tying up some remaining loose ends in the Koprulu sector.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cutscenes: Skygeirr Station Missions (in English). 2013-03-12. Searching for Raynor Raynor was held captive by the Dominion. Kerrigan sought to free him and enlisted Raynor's Raiders to find him.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cutscenes: Dominion Space Missions (in English). 2013-03-12. Stukov and Kerrigan conversed about Earth as the Swarm waited. While he remembered Earth fondly, Stukov knew he could not return home; also, Kerrigan would prevent any attempt to avoid drawing the attention of the UED. Both agreed that the UED would eventually return to the Sector.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations before With Friends Like These... (in English). 2013-03-12. A Return to Korhal Intent on taking vengeance against Mengsk, Kerrigan brought the zerg to Korhal, intent on invading the planet. Once again, Stukov found himself in a command position in regards to assaulting the Dominion throne world, only this time with the Swarm rather than the UED. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations before Planetfall. (in English). 2013-03-12. ]] The opening attack went to the zerg's favor, as they were able to establish a beachhead on the surface and destroy Korhal's orbital defenses from below.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Planetfall (in English). 2013-03-12. Kerrigan cautioned Stukov that they shouldn't be overconfident, that Mengsk was a suave tactician and would have something up his sleeve.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Planetfall. (in English). 2013-03-12. That turned out to be the Psi Destroyer, its field ripping apart zerg through their hivemind connection. Its deployment coincided with a Dominion counterattack, intended to keep them pre-occupied from the device. Kerrigan assigned Broodmother Zagara command of the Swarm and to hold the center, while she assigned Stukov to screen Zagara's flanks. Kerrigan meanwhile went with Dehaka to destroy the device, in which she succeeded.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Death from Above (in English). 2013-03-12. Finally, all that was left to do was to make a final assault on Mengsk's palace. Before the assault, Kerrigan confided with Stukov, telling him that if she succeeded in killing Mengsk, she would take the Swarm to confront Amon, even though it was a fight that she did not believe she could win. With the only other option being to bow to the inevitable however, fighting was the only choice to make, an assertion that Stukov agreed with, and told Kerrigan that he would stick with her to the end.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Death from Above (in English). 2013-03-12. The attack was launched. Kerrigan led her forces into the fray, while Stukov, Zagara, and Dehaka attacked the defending force's flanks. However, the defending flank forces were well entrenched, and none of the zerg attacking them were able to break through.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, The Reckoning (in English). 2013-03-12. Kerrigan's zerg attacked the entrenched positions from the rear, clearing them out. The way clear, Stukov led a force of infested terrans into the fray. Ultimately, the attack was succesful, and Mengsk was killed. With that, the Swarm departed to find and confront Amon.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Ascension (in English). 2013-03-12. End War Alongside fellow commanders, Stukov commanded infested terran forces during the End War.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). November 10, 2015 Into the Void Stukov was among Kerrigan's forces that she led into the Void in the final stages of the End War. Within the Void, he found Narud, revealed as a xel'naga. Narud assumed that Stukov was there to gloat. However, Stukov was there to exact revenge for his death, and in an inverse of their confrontation six years ago, he personally slew Narud for good.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Into the Void, Into the Void (in English). 2015-11-10. Post-War At some point after the End War, Stukov left the Swarm, which came under the rule of Overqueen Zagara. While he had some personal allegiance to Kerrigan, that allegiance did not extend to the Swarm as a whole. Game Unit StarCraft Stukov appears as a hero unit in "Patriot's Blood," "Deception," and "Resurrection IV." In all but the last instance, he is an NPC hero. StarCraft II : For the Heart of the Swarm hero unit, see: Alexei Stukov (StarCraft II). : For the commander in Co-op Missions, see: Alexei Stukov (Co-op Missions). :See StarCraft II Alexei Stukov Quotations Stukov is playable as a hero unit in the mission "Phantoms of the Void," an NPC hero in "Into the Void" and a commander in Co-op Missions. Heroes of the Storm Alexei Stukov is a playable hero in Heroes of the Storm.2017-06-29, [ https://twitter.com/BlizzHeroes/status/880440735312379904 Heroes of the Storm]. Twitter.com, accessed on 2017-06-29 Personality and Traits As a human, Stukov enjoyed smoking and vodka, and in infested form, sometimes missed the latter. He speaks with a Russian accent. As a child, he enjoyed horror stories. Despite the two men being on opposing sides during the Brood War, Jim Raynor considered Stukov to be an honorable man. As an infested terran under Kaloth, Stukov appeared to embrace his position to a degree. After his initial de-infestation and the subsequent return of the condition, Stukov displayed a more fatalistic outlook on his position, believing that he had no place other than in the Swarm, as no one else would accept what he had become. Stukov has indicated some lingering loyalty to the UED, even in his infested state. He has called himself a traitor, along with other former fleet members. He has expressed confidence and/or hope that the UED will return to the sector. He dislikes Abathur, and his role in the Swarm was from personal allegiance to Kerrigan, rather than the Swarm as a whole. He has expressed disdain for the protoss and terrans of the Koprulu sector, seeing the former as being inclined towards "indulgent speeches," and the latter as "backwater peasants." He also dislikes siege tanks. Abilities As a human, Stukov was considered to be a brilliant tactician by his peers. It was an assessment that Kerrigan shared, considering Stukov to be "twice the man" that DuGalle was. In infested form, Stukov possessed/retained psionic abilities, along with a corrosive projectile attack. Unlike most infested terrans, he retained his intelligence, his mind closed off from the rest of the zerg hivemind (at least after his initial de-infestation).Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Zagara (in English). 2013-03-12.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations before Infested (in English). 2013-03-12. In his second infested form, Abathur rated Stukov as being only second to the Primal Queen of Blades. However, Stukov was a product of a specific design, and the interweaving of terran and zerg genetic material was on a level that not even Abathur was capable of.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Abathur (in English). 2013-03-12. Stukov's infested state grants him regenerative properties, allowing him to heal wounds and even regrow limbs quickly. The infestation gave him a fast-spreading pathogen that can quickly lead to contamination.2017-06-28, Heroes of the Storm Twitter. Twitter, accessed on 2017-06-30 He also has the ability to grow his infested arm, though it causes him a large amount of pain. Notes *Alexei Stukov's apparent age varies between the American and German versions of StarCraft: Brood War. In the American version, Stukov was fifty-two years old when the started, giving him a year of birth of 2448. However, in the UED Victory Report, he was reported to have been born and died in the year 822 (suggesting he was less than a year old, clearly an inaccuracy). In the German version of Brood War, Stukov was born in June 822 and died in April 872, giving him an age of 50,http://xs226.xs.to/xs226/08154/image1858.png which does not quite agree with the Brood War manual. *While Stukov's official rank is repeatedly given as Vice Admiral, twice in Brood War he is referred to as an Admiral, including one instance where he uses the designation himself. In the real-life military, Vice Admirals are usually referred to as "Admiral" as a courtesy. *A character bearing similarity to Alexei Stukov, Alexi Barov, can be found in World of Warcraft. Barov died and arose as a Forsaken, increasing the similarity. *Blizzard Entertainment posted random "StarCraft Trivia" question-ads on the Battle.net interface during 2000-2001, such as: "How many sons does Stukov have?" or "Who was infested and brought back to life"?.2007-08-09. The Gathering Storm. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-08-10. *Stukov did not appear in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty as the zerg component was deemed to be already complicated enough.Chris Metzen, StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-07-20 July 20, 2009 Metzen Interview. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-09-07. *Dehaka was matched against Stukov on the StarCraft Twitter. 57% of voters claimed that Stukov would win.2016-12-13, StarCraft on Twitter. Twitter, accessed on 2016-12-15 References ru:Алексей Стуков Category:Terran characters in the StarCraft and Brood War manuals Category:Terran characters in StarCraft and Brood War Category:Terran characters in the Stukov missions Category:Zerg characters in StarCraft II Category:Major Terran characters Category:People of Earth Category:UED and UPL characters Category:Infested Terran characters Category:Terran ship crew Category:Terran soldiers Category:Heroes of the Storm